On
August 4, 1868, the Linn County Commissioners awarded a contract to the
firm of Bishop & Eaton for construction of a covered bridge at a cost
"not to exceed $5,000". The 151 foot structure, originally known
as the Linn County Bridge, was completed and opened to traffic the same
year. It is the longest of the four surviving covered bridges in the
state.

The
bridge was built with the Howe-truss system and features arched entrances
with ramps sloping away from both ends. It was situated on the main
east-west road in northern Missouri, running parallel to the Hannibal and
St. Joseph Railroad. Midway between Laclede and Meadville, Locust Creek
Covered Bridge served a local population.

The
road on which the bridge was located later became Route 8, the nation's
first transcontinental highway. Locust Creek's channel was altered
following World War II, leaving the bridge spanning a dry creek bed, and
U. S. Highway 36 replaced Route 8 as the main traffic artery across
Northern Missouri. By 1960 the county had ceased maintaining of the west
access road, and the bridge became virtually inaccessible.

....3
miles west of Laclede on Hwy. 36, 1 mile north, then east 518 of a
mile on un­marked, gravel road. Harboring many memories from years gone
by, the Linn County Covered Bridge spans the now dry Locust Creek. The
bridge is also well known as the Locust Creek Covered Bridge. Realizing
the need for the bridge, the Linn County Court ordered the construction of
a covered bridge across Locust Creek on the road from Brookfield to
Collyers Mill (no longer in existence) on May 19, 1868. The bridge was to
be erected “at a cost not exceeding $5,500.”

The
contract for construction of the bridge was awarded to the firm of Bishop
and Eaton by the county court on August 4, 1868. The bridge measures 20
feet, 3 inches high and is 151 feet long and 16 feet, 8 inches wide. The
long axis of the bridge is oriented northeast-southwest. In May, 1968 the
Linn County Covered Bridge became the responsibility of the Missouri State
Park Board, and restoration of the bridge was completed that year. Repairs
included the replacement of the roof, sheeting, sideboards and flooring.
The bridge is closed to vehicular traffic because the road terminates at
the bridge.